Wiknich provides insight on signed gun laws

When Gov. Jerry Brown signed a series of gun control bills into law on Oct. 11, it set off a wave of protests from conservative politicians, Second Amendment advocates and gun safety advocates alike.

By Jack BarnwellCITY EDITORjbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

When Gov. Jerry Brown signed a series of gun control bills into law on Oct. 11, it set off a wave of protests from conservative politicians, Second Amendment advocates and gun safety advocates alike.The series of bills come nearly 10 months after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. On Dec. 14, 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults, setting off outrage and a strong call for robust gun laws across the nation.Brown's signing several of the gun laws passed by the Democratic-controlled state legislature cements California's place as the leading state in the U.S. for strict gun control.Tom Wiknich, business owner of Ridgecrest's GUNS4US firearms store, evaluated some of the laws passed by Brown.“Note that when laws such as these are passed, until the CA DOJ actually analyzes them and provides dealers implementation instructions, dealers don't know the full impact of them,” Wiknich said by email on Monday. “The implementation instructions really tells dealers what is expected and how to follow the new law. Often, even after the DOJ releases instructions, dealers sometimes find problems in their instructions and through common sense discussions with dealers, come to a reasonable final instruction.”Wiknich said that two laws — Assembly Bill 1131 and Senate Bill 127 — may have a positive impact in terms of keeping hands out the wrong hands.SB 127, authored by Sen. Ted Gaines (R — Rocklin), will now require reports by a licenced psychotherapist to local law enforcement agencies “someone who has communicated a serious threat of physical violence against a reasonably identifiable victim or victims be made within 24 hours.” The law enforcement agencies must also notify the state Department of Justice when reports are received.AB 1131 by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D — Berkeley), extends the prohibition time of firearms by people who've decribed a credible violent threat to psychotherapists from six months to five years.“These laws will be an improvement in keeping guns out of the hands of unqualified people, as long as the doctors do the reporting they are supposed to do,” Wiknich said. “And the CA DOJ actually adds these reports to their background check data base.”Another law, AB 539 by Assemblyman Richard Pan (D — Sacramento) lets gun owners prohibited to own guns to transfer ownership or possession of firearms to another person for the duration of the court order.“This law gives gun owners a little more flexibility on handling guns that they need to get out of their control as ordered by a court,” Wiknich said. However, Wiknich said that the other laws seem to do nothing more than prove a hindrance on gun owners or business owners, or expand already existing laws. SB 683, by Sen. Marty Block (D — San Diego), for example, requires owners of long guns to earn safety certificates similar to those already required for hand guns“This one does create a new workload on gun dealers, and will add extra effort for gun buyers and cost,” Wiknich said. Other laws provide the same hinderance, Wiknich said, including AB 538, another Pan bill, which “requires a licensed firearm dealer to provide copies of the dealer's record of sale to a firearm purchaser at the time of delivery.”AB 711, by Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D — South Gate), which bans use of lead ammunition in hunting by 2019, has proven unpopular with hunters. Brown's signing memo indicated that while he was not targeting hunters, the law proved important to protect the state's environment.“This is a feel good worthless law,” Wiknich said. “All it will do is increase the cost of hunting for hunters.”